


Temporary Safe Space

by watermelonriddles



Series: It's A Date [5]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21652027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: Beth is still at Rio's place when a thunderstorm hits and he comes up with a plan to make her feel better.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Series: It's A Date [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1408408
Comments: 10
Kudos: 115





	Temporary Safe Space

**Author's Note:**

> This follows on almost immedietely after the previous part [_The Dress_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20824019).

Thunderstorms had never particularly bothered Beth before. Sure they were loud and disruptive but that was really it. At least until a loud clap of thunder startles her awake. She sits bolt upright, eyes scanning the dark space around her that’s lit up very briefly by a flash of lighting. Iit takes her a moment to remember she’s at Rio’s. Just as her heart begins to slow down, another clash of thunder sounds. She jumps, letting out a little scream.

Rio mumbles something, his face still pressed into the pillow, feeling around the bed for her. She can’t bring herself to say anything, her heart pounding as she anxiously awaits the next wave of lightning and thunder. When he can’t seem to find her, Rio turns his head to the side and peers up at her. She instinctively pulls the covers up, becoming hyper aware of the fact tha she’s completely naked.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I…”

Beth clears her throat then and he shifts, moving to sit beside her. His hand rests against her lower back as he kisses her shoulder. “Something happen?”

“No, it’s just…” She motions to the window just as a flash lights up the room again and, as a clash of thunder quickly follows, she shrieks before she can stop herself. Placing a hand to her chest, she closes her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

When she opens them again, she finds Rio smirking. He leans in close enough to kiss her jaw. “Afraid of the storm?”

“ _ No. _ ”

She huffs because she’s  _ not _ . For as long as she can remember, she was the one looking after other people during the storm. Growing up it was all about making sure that Annie didn’t go outside and get soaked or worse, struck by lightning (because their luck was definitely  _ that _ bad). Then when her own kids came along it was partly about making sure they didn’t sneak outside to play but also about comforting them when they were scared. It suddenly dawns on her that this is the first time, at least since Annie was a toddler, that she’s been somewhat alone during a thunderstorm with no one to take care of. And even then, she had her parents.

“Okay,” she relents, earning her a knowing smile from Rio. “Maybe a little but usually I’m fine.”

“Which one is it?” She frowns at him and he begins to rub at her back. “Which kid is afraid?”

_ Oh _ , right. “Emma mostly. Danny is a little but he’s much better with them now. He hates the lightning more because it catches him off guard.”

Rio hums a little as he falls back onto the bed. His hand continues to rub at her back, only pausing when she jumps again at another wave of lighting and thunder before he continues his movements.

“Yeah,” Rio says as she closes her eyes and concentrates on the circles he’s making with his hand on her lower back. “Marcus hates them. Storms usually get pretty bad when he’s supposed to be sleeping so he climbs into bed with me.”

“I can understand the appeal,” she admits, already sensing the pleased look he’s probably wearing. “Don’t let that go to your head.”

He doesn’t miss a beat. “Too late.”

Beth twists a little so she can look down at him. He’s grinning and she just rolls her eyes at him. “I’m surprised it hasn’t exploded yet with how big it is.”

He barks out a laugh. “Come on, ma, you love it.”

Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, she pulls the covers with her but when she looks back, Rio has grabbed it to stop her from moving too far. Reaching down beside the bed, she finds her panties and slips them on. The night before, they had stayed wrapped up in each for a moment, still pressed against the wall before they broke apart. She had gathered her panties up before promptly dropping them again on the floor beside his bed when he started to undo her dress. 

“I plead the fifth,” Beth says which earns her a low chuckle from him. Her eyes dart to the clock on the bedside table. It’s only four in the morning and she groans a little before reaching behind her to gently touch his chest. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, you should go back to sleep.”

He makes a noise that seems to be partly in protest but makes no moves to actually stop her. Without risking a look back at him, Beth lets the covers go and moves a little away from the bed where she finds his shirt lying abandoned. She pulls it on, not even bothering to attempt the buttons (luckily, it covers her just enough regardless and stays somewhat in place), and heads right for the bathroom. Just as she’s about to reach the door, a flash of lighting comes through and she steels herself for the thunder that follows. This time she does jump but only just and thankfully, she doesn’t scream.

As Beth locks herself in the bathroom, she realises that there are longer breaks between each flash of light (and the loud clap of thunder that follows). If she’s lucky, perhaps the breaks will be long enough to let her fall back to sleep.

\--

By the time she comes out of the bathroom, the storm has quieted down some. The thunder and lightning is few and far between, making it easier for her to catch herself when it does strike. The bed, she finds, is stripped almost completely bare and her eyes are quickly drawn away. Normally, there’s a little bit of open space between Marcus’ room and the seating area that’s in the middle of the loft but now it’s filled with what Beth can only describe as a fort.

She wanders closer to it to get a better look. There are four dining chairs - all facing outward - with a sheet thrown over the top of them. A soft glow is seeping out from the fort and Beth crouches down to lift a bit of the sheet up. Inside, she finds Rio fiddling with some string lights. There’s two sets, seemingly battery operated, and he’s hooking them onto the backs of the chairs so they’re situated near the top of the fort. Some of the lights are shaped like dinosaurs, the rest like robots. On the floor, there’s all the bedding.

“How long was I gone?”

He finishes putting up the last of the lights and sits back. “Long enough.”

Not wanting to disrupt the fort, she crawls into the space and settles down beside him, adjusting the shirt to make sure it’s covering her properly. “What’s all this?”

“Sometimes when there’s a storm Marcus likes to hide under his blankets with a flashlight and we read one of his books.” He lays back, putting one of his arms behind his head for extra support. “Figured this would be more comfortable.”

Beth holds the shirt closed as she lays back beside him. The lighting can still be seen but it’s dampened and the thunder is much quieter as the storm slowly moves away. “You know, they suggest doing something like this for dogs. Create a quiet, safe space that’s just for him.”

At that, Rio laughs. “If you’re gonna have a safe space here, it’s gonna be in my bed. This is temporary.”

She shoves him gently. “Don’t I get a say?”

“Nah.”

Rolling her eyes, Beth glances around. “You know, I’ve always wanted to stay in a fort.”

He gives her a disbelieving look. “You got four kids.”

Beth laughs. “I know, I know, but it never happened. Dean was always the one that got roped into playing, especially when it was just Kenny and Danny. When the girls came along, it was still Dean but really, the kids didn’t need either of us.”

He makes a noise of amusement. “Perks of having more than one kid.”

“I like the decor,” she muses, motioning to the lights.

Rio reaches up a flicks a robot, watching as it spins. “Kid wanted a nightlight when he was in the depths of his dinosaur phase. Got one for his mom’s place but they didn’t have anymore so I got him these lights instead.”

“Let me guess, by that time he was in to robots.”

He snorts. “Yeah. Had to buy both sets.”

Beth smiles, shuffling closer to him. He wraps an arm around her waist and she rests her head against his chest. “You know, it reminds me of this guy I knew in highschool. Tony, I think his name was.” He makes a noise for her to continue, although she notes the way his arm tightens a little against her. “He was pretty rich and dated a ton of girls in my year. During the warmer months, his big date nights always ended up with them camping out in a big tent in the backyard. There would be lots of decorations and lights. His house was  _ huge _ and because of where it was, you could see lots of stars apparently.”

“So you weren’t one of those girls?”

Beth shakes her head. “I wanted to be. Mostly for the tent and the stars. He was actually a bit of a jerk.”

Rio chuckles. “You know who you married, right?”

She lifts up to glare at him and he’s just grinning at her. Although it’s tempting to scoff, she really can’t be all that offended because, well, he’s  _ right _ . “Dean wasn’t so bad in the beginning.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rio says. “I bet.”

“You’re unbelieva-”

But he moves so suddenly, effectively cutting her off as she falls back against the pillows. He’s on top of her before her brain can catch up, her hands pinned above her head and he smiles down at her. His eyes darting a little further south to where she knows the shirt has fallen open a little.“Might not be any stars but how’s it holding up?”

Beth tilts her head to look around the fort and when her eyes fall back to him, she tries not to smile. “This isn’t a date so it’s hardly the same.”

He tightens his grip on her wrists as he leans down to kiss her. “Hypothetically.”

“Hmm, it’s alright,” she says. “I suppose.”

Rio scoffs before he leans down to kiss her again, this time rocking his hips into her. She gasps, feeling him already hard against her and she moans when he does it again, his lips pressing to her jaw. His hands slip from her wrists as he stoops lower to kiss her neck. Now free, her arms around him, her hand resting against the back of his neck.

“I guess it’s not so bad.” Beth’s nails scratch gently against his skin and he groans against her neck. “Pretty sure you could do even better though.”

And, of course, he takes that as a challenge.


End file.
